Historic marker notes home of DeWeitt Clinton

Photo credit: Steve Garza

A new historic marker noting the former location of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton’s mansion house in Maspeth has been installed.

The Newtown Historical Society announced that it has replaced a long-lost roadside marker that was originally installed in the 1930s.

The marker, located at the intersection of Maspeth Avenue, 56th Terrace and 58th Street, notes that Clinton worked on plans for the Erie Canal near that very spot.

According to the historical society, the Maspeth mansion was his summer home, which he and his wife Maria inherited from his father-in-law, Walter Franklin.

The house burned down in 1933 after years of neglect. The original marker was then placed to mark the location of the mansion by the NYS Department of Education’s State History Office. It was lost decades ago due to reconfigured roads.

The return of the historic marker was a group effort. State Senator Joe Addabbo’s office found out that the plaza was owned by the city’s Department of Transportation. Councilman Bob Holden funded the cost of the marker.

Community Board 2 voted in favor of placing the new marker back on the spot, and the city’s Design Commission approved the application.

The Juniper Park Civic Association arranged for contractor Marco Properties to install it. Work was completed on December 16.

The placement of the marker goes to show there’s so much about Maspeth history everyone should learn.

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